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PCMR v. Talisker disputes continue

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City Mountain Resort and Talisker Land Holdings LLC have submitted filings in 3rd District Court disputing whether a critical February 2012 letter between the top figures of the two entities should be made public.

The PCMR side wants the letter unsealed while Talisker Land Holdings argues it should remain confidential. The letter was from Jack Bistricer, who helms Talisker Land Holdings, to John Cumming, the CEO of PCMR parent Powdr Corp. It dealt with the possibility of a new lease agreement between Talisker Land Holdings, which owns much of the resort’s terrain, and PCMR. The Talisker Land Holdings side claims that the letter is a settlement proposal that should remain sealed.

In its Oct. 7 filing, called a motion to unseal the record, PCMR says the letter “constitutes evidence of Talisker’s anticompetitive conduct and specific intent to drive (PCMR) out of business and monopolize the market.”

The PCMR side’s filing says the letter should be made public, claiming it is not a settlement proposal and it is not “covered by the parties’ agreement to keep settlement communications confidential.”

“The public’s interest in and the public’s right of access to judicial materials favor unsealing the record,” Alan Sullivan, PCMR’s lead attorney, wrote in the filing.

LAKE TAHOE — Winter is back at Lake Tahoe — and resorts and residents couldn’t be more pleased.

A small storm swept through the greater Truckee/Tahoe region last week, dumping more than 2 feet of snow in some areas and stoking enthusiasm for a strong 2013-14 ski season.

Located west of Truckee, Boreal Mountain Resort — which strives each fall to be the first area resort to open — opened this weekend.

On Tuesday, Sugar Bowl Resort in Norden reported 29 inches of fresh snow had fallen at its summit (8,383 feet), with 21 inches at its 6,883-foot base.

Near Tahoe’s North Shore, Squaw Valley on Tuesday reported 23 inches of new snow at upper mountain from the storm, while neighboring Alpine Meadows tallied 19 inches up top.

Several main Tahoe/Truckee highways were under chain and snow tire controls overnight Sunday and Monday morning — when snow was blowing the hardest — including the Mt. Rose Highway in Nevada and California Highway 267 over Brockway Summit.

A few Tahoe schools got started an hour late Monday morning due to slick roads. Regional emergency crews responded to several slide-offs and fender benders, but no major incidents were reported.

It marked the first significant snow of the 2013-14 season for Tahoe, outside of an upper-elevation dusting on Sept. 21 — which also was the evening prior to the inaugural Ironman Lake Tahoe.

“Winter is here,” Northstar California Director of Mountain Operations Jim Larmore said in a Monday statement. “The conditions are allowing us to start making snow a little earlier than we’d planned to. We’re firing up the snowmaking guns ... to compliment the natural snow this storm has brought so we can take full advantage of our systems.”

Many of Tahoe’s resorts still expect to open near the Thanksgiving holiday.

“All in all, we’re pretty bullish about this ski season,” Crested Butte Mountain Resort marketing vice president Scott Clarkson told the 70 people in attendance. “Our numbers are looking good and now we need some help from Mother Nature.”

While it is early in the booking season, compared to last year at this time, CBMR bookings are up for every month except December, which is showing down 2 percent over 2012. January is up 41 percent, February is up 65 percent, March is up 85 percent and the final six days of the season in April are up 69 percent. Thanksgiving looks to be up as well.

“We are pleased with the trends we are seeing,” said Clarkson. “Groups are up 65 percent for the season and that’s a big number. Primarily that is ski clubs. We will be helped by what looks like a longer New Year’s week, where people will stay until January 5 or January 6 instead of leaving on the first or second.”

Clarkson credits the early season increase to an aggressive marketing campaign under the banner of “Book early, save big.”

CBMR is also making a continued push to extend the winter season by hosting a snowmobile event the week after the ski area lifts stop turning.

The lifts close April 6 and from April 10 to April 13 the resort will host 200 competitors in snowmobile competitions. “We hope this can extend business to restaurants and lodging for another week,” he said.

COPPER MOUNTAIN — The U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain officially opened Friday with the most snow coverage since opening the elite training facility in 2011. The exclusive alpine center features the only full-length downhill training available anywhere in the world at this time of year, providing U.S. skiers with an Audi FIS Alpine World Cup level training slope as they prepare for the 2014 Olympic season.

Over a foot of overnight snow prevented gate training. The 2014 U.S. Alpine Ski Team will be announced Friday, Nov. 8 during Nature Valley First Tracks, a free public celebration in Center Village.

“Copper always does an incredible job in prepping this hill so early in the season for us and sometimes it’s nice to get a little help from Mother Nature,” Women’s speed coach Chip White said. “We could have run a World Cup super G on this slope last Wednesday.”

— To read more about the U.S. Ski Team’s training at Copper Mountain, visit ussa.org.